Exploratory geothermal work for Novi Sad district heating
Serbia is advancing exploratory drilling for a geothermal district-heating development at Mišeluk in Novi Sad. Municipal utility JKP Novosadska toplana is carrying out the drilling and preparing the associated heat-distribution network. The activity is positioned as testing geothermal heat as a tool to reduce reliance on gas in the heat supply segment.
The work is exploratory rather than a final investment decision. Drilling is required to establish temperature, flow rate, reservoir sustainability and water chemistry before plant capacity, heat-pump requirements and network economics can be defined. This sequencing links the field data to later design parameters for the district-heating system.
Programme support and institutional coordination
The project is supported through the Geothermal Energy in Serbia programme. The programme is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, with financing from Slovakia’s Ministry of Finance. Cooperation involves Serbia’s environment and energy ministries.
With the drilling stage underway, the next steps depend on results from the geothermal reservoir characterization. Those results are needed to determine how the system would be sized and configured for heat delivery. The network preparation work is being carried out alongside the exploratory phase.
System components and factors shaping the investment case
Even if geothermal resources prove suitable, Mišeluk will still require pumps, heat exchangers, treatment systems and reinjection infrastructure. Backup boilers are also part of the described setup for district heating. These elements indicate that geothermal supply would be integrated with additional equipment rather than operating as a standalone source.
The investment case depends on two main parameters highlighted for decision-making: the temperature delivered at the wellhead and the distance to sufficiently dense heat demand. Both factors affect how much usable heat can be produced and how economically it can be distributed through the network. Network economics are therefore tied to both reservoir performance and local demand density.
Role of district heating in Serbian gas consumption
The strategic relevance of the project is linked to the demand segment it addresses. District heating is described as a major source of Serbian gas consumption. A viable geothermal system is expected to provide stable local heat without relying on electricity-market prices or imported fuel during each operating hour.
The project also sits within a broader diversification model for Serbian municipal utilities described alongside other technologies. Solar additions are noted as reducing daytime electricity prices, while batteries are described as shifting energy across hours. Wind is referenced as providing a different generation profile, and geothermal heat is described as displacing gas directly without first converting renewable electricity into thermal energy.
